Restaurant and café prices in Ireland were 3.6% higher in September than a year earlier, and the wider restaurants and accommodation group was up 3.5%, according to the CSO's Consumer Price Index published on 8 October. The CSO's flash estimate on 3 November put overall inflation at 4.0% for October, driven by energy up 18.3% in a year, while food prices were almost flat at 0.1%. That is the backdrop for a Christmas season in which more restaurants are taking card details or charging fees for groups that fail to turn up.

9% VAT in force, no change in Budget 2027

Food-led hospitality has paid 9% VAT instead of 13.5% since 1 July 2026, covering restaurant and catering services and hot takeaway food, with the rate legislated to 31 December 2030, according to accountancy firm Crowe. Cold takeaway stays at 0%; confectionery, alcohol and soft drinks stay at 23%; tea and coffee are 9%. Budget 2027 on 6 October left the rate alone.

Minimum wage to €14.94 from January

Budget 2027 accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendation of a 79c rise in the national minimum wage to €14.94 an hour, a 5.6% increase that takes effect on 1 January 2027, RTÉ reported. Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy called it "a very chunky percentage increase". Many kitchen and floor staff are paid at or near the minimum, so the rise lands on menus in the new year.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland, which represents about 2,500 food-led businesses, elected Eimear Killian, owner of Builín Blasta café in Spiddal, Co Galway, as president, Hospitality Ireland reported on 20 October. She is the first president from Galway or the Gaeltacht and succeeds Seán Collender, who led the campaign for the 9% rate.

Fewer restaurants going under

Hospitality insolvencies fell 23% in the first nine months of 2026, to 85 from 111 a year earlier, PwC Ireland reported on 2 October; the sector's 25 failures in the third quarter were below its average of 35 a quarter since 2023. Across all sectors there were 648 insolvencies to end-September against 633 in 2025, with retail up 25% and construction up 26%.

Christmas bookings: card details and €20 fees

Restaurants are tightening up on no-shows ahead of the party season, the Irish Times reported on 23 October. Library Street in Dublin 2, a 33-seat restaurant run by chef Kevin Burke, takes card details on every booking but no deposit; Burke called it "a preventive measure to make sure that people are serious about the booking", and said groups often book for 10 and arrive as five.

Gloria Osteria, with 180 seats, charges €20 a head when a group of more than eight cancels with less than 48 hours' notice. General manager Lara Dalla Bona said "Sometimes people book multiple times and then they show up at their convenience", and asked groups to arrive together so sharing dishes are not served cold.

FSAI: 12 closures in September, October list due

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland served 12 closure orders in September, it announced on 15 October, including Pizza Petito in Rathgar, The Hopsack café in Rathmines, Fia's Café in Limerick, Everest Kitchen in Ennis and J2 Sushi & Bento in Swords. Reasons included a cockroach infestation, rodent droppings on food surfaces and no food safety management system; chief executive Greg Dempsey called them "entirely preventable non-compliances". The October list is not yet published and usually lands mid-month. The FSAI also issued an allergen alert on 4 November for undeclared peanuts in Tobby Foods Kuli Kuli and Suya Spice.

Delivery riders: new rules due by 2 December

Ireland must transpose the EU Platform Work Directive by 2 December 2026, and the Department of Enterprise says it is committed to meeting that deadline, RTÉ reported. The directive creates a presumption that app couriers for Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats are employees, with minimum wage, sick pay and pension rights; the report expects takeaway prices to rise. Deliveroo announced in September a two-year push to sign up more restaurants in Greater Dublin, Limerick and Galway, saying monthly orderers in Dublin's suburbs rose more than 25% in a year.

Pubs: a quarter gone since 2005

A DIGI-commissioned report by economist Anthony Foley found 2,205 pubs have closed since 2005, with 86 closures in 2025; Limerick lost 37.2% of its pubs, Cork 32.7% and Dublin 1.1%. The Licensed Vintners Association said late-night opening nights fell by 950 to 30,651 in 2025, with each Special Exemption Order costing €205 a night; its request for a €100 cap was not granted in Budget 2027. In Dublin, McDaid's off Grafton Street and The Druid's Chair in Killiney were sold by the Cosgrave brothers to the Mangan family of Doheny & Nesbitt's for an undisclosed sum, Hospitality Ireland reported on 15 October.

Openings and visitors

The Oyster Tavern at the English Market in Cork reopened on 22 October after almost three years closed, under new operator Paul Whelan, with an all-day gastropub and carvery planned downstairs and a late bar upstairs after Christmas, the Irish Examiner reported. Applegreen opened a Taco Bell in Swords on 3 November, with Inchicore, Tuam Road in Galway and Paulstown, Co Kilkenny due before year end and 80 jobs. Popeyes is preparing a Westmoreland Street site, Lovin Dublin reported on 21 October.

CSO figures published on 29 October show 590,700 foreign visitors in September, down 2% on 2025, but spend excluding fares up 4% to €595 million; British visitors fell 7% and US visitors 9%.

What it means for you

• Book Christmas tables early and expect to give card details; cancel more than 48 hours out to avoid fees of €20 a head or more.
• Give an accurate headcount and dietary needs when you book, and arrive together.
• Check the FSAI closure list before a group booking; the October orders are due in mid-November.
• Menu prices are running about 3.5% ahead of last year, and the January wage rise may add more. You can compare local restaurants and takeaways on Locufy.

For providers: publish your deposit or cancellation policy before customers book, confirm large groups 48 hours ahead, make sure VAT on combination meals is split correctly between the 9% and 23% elements, and re-cost menus for the €14.94 minimum wage before the new year.

Key dates

• Mid-November: FSAI expected to publish October closure orders
• 12 November: final October CPI from the CSO
• 2 December: deadline to transpose the EU Platform Work Directive
• 1 January 2027: minimum wage rises to €14.94 an hour
• 31 December 2030: end date for the 9% hospitality VAT rate

Sources

• CSO — Consumer Price Index September 2026
• RTÉ — CSO flash inflation reading
• Crowe — 1 July 2026 hospitality VAT reduction now in effect
• RTÉ — Minimum wage and Budget 2027
• Hospitality Ireland — Eimear Killian elected president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland
• PwC Ireland — Restructuring update Q3 2026
• Irish Times — 'It's not just a loss of money': Irish restaurants on the most annoying customer habits during Christmas season
• FSAI — Twelve closure orders served on food businesses in September
• FSAI — Latest news and alerts
• RTÉ — New directive for delivery workers could see prices rise
• Hospitality Ireland — Deliveroo plans Irish expansion as demand grows
• Hospitality Ireland — One quarter of Irish pubs have closed since 2005
• Hospitality Ireland — Late-night bar and nightclub openings fall by 950 in 2025
• Hospitality Ireland — Iconic Dublin pub McDaid's has been sold
• Irish Examiner — Oyster Tavern reopens at Cork's English Market
• Hospitality Ireland — Applegreen to open four new Taco Bell restaurants by year end
• Lovin Dublin — All the restaurant openings and closures
• CSO — Inbound Tourism September 2026

Signed-in Locufy customers and providers only. Comments close 30 days after publication. Report anything that names a person unfairly — we act on every report.

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